A Shot In The Dark
by thenameiskeri
Summary: His eyebrow ached, his body suddenly leaning too far over the table, "Or what? Where do you want to go?" Her eyes latched onto his, searching for something that she realized was always there. Her words came out as a whisper, her eyes despite her best intentions falling to his lips, "Nowhere."


By the time, Elizabeth reached the booth Jason Morgan was now slouched in, she counted at least seven shot glasses and 3 beer bottles empty and spread across the small mahogany table before him. He cradled another beer in his grasp, bringing it to his lips casually, staring at it and it alone.

She towered over the table and him as she began to shake off the small gray jacket she had over her shoulders, "Hey." She spoke quietly though Coleman was the only other person in the bar, "Can I sit?"

It took a while for Jason to lift his head and look up at her, his eyes squinting, his bottle slipping from his grip, "What are you doing here?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she slipped into the seat across from him, "Looking for you."

Jason scoffed, his finger absentmindedly running up and down the neck of the bottle as his eyes followed her into the seat, "_Me_, huh?"

Elizabeth nodded, her arms coming to rest against the flat of the table, "Yeah, Coleman called Sonny and...", She hesitated, her eyes lowering, "And Sonny told Emily and Emily called me."

The mere mention of his sister with Sonny caused him to quickly reach for his bottle again between his forefinger and thumb, sweep it back into his grasp, and press it firmly against his mouth. He tilted his head back, gathering a large gulp and swirling it in his mouth, before swallowing hard. He sighed, "So you're here to rescue me, huh?"

Elizabeth chuckled, "Role reversal." His hand flew up, gesturing for Coleman to bring another round, "I think you've had enough, Jase."

Jason merely shook his head, planning on getting much more wasted by the night's end, "Not quite."

She paused, unsure of her next move, afraid that if she pushed him too far that he'd completely shut down but if she didn't question him at all that he'd only continue to drown his sorrows. She rolled up the sleeves of her crimson blouse to her elbows, her eyes scanning the room, sticking to Coleman and mouthing him to not bring any more alcohol. The barkeep only nodded with a small smile on his face before he disappeared into the back of Jake's. Elizabeth turned back to Jason, his head resting on the corner edge of the booth. She pushed aside a few strands of hair from her eyes, "Is this about Sam?"

The sound of her name alone sent shooting pains into his stomach. He slammed the beer bottle back against the table hard enough to make Elizabeth jump in her seat. But when he spoke, his voice was sweet, his tone calm, "I, I never did thank you for helping to save her life." He scoffed, "Even if I still lost her in the end."

He stopped there, but she could tell he had so much more to say, "So, you wanna talk about it?"

He reached for the bottle again, "No."

Since his instincts were greatly impaired by all of the alcohol, it didn't take much effort for her to intercept his attempt and sweep the only full bottle at the table from his reach. She grabbed the neck of it with both of her hands, keeping it steady before her, "Jason..."

Frustrated, and unable to take the liquor back, he rubbed his eyes with the pads of his thumbs, "This _is_ role reversal. I'm gonna vent and you're gonna listen?"

She nodded, her digit slipping into the open bottle, "That was the plan."

His eyes latched onto hers, only taking in then just how beautiful she looked even in this dark, dim light, even in his own drunken haze, even despite the sadness he could see hidden deep within her baby blues. He swallowed hard, wishing to God he could have just one more drink, "Why are you here, Elizabeth? Don't you have a husband to get home to?" His harsh tone and his implication changed her mood and look in a fraction of a second. The bottle slipped from her hands and her eyes turned the darkest shade of blue he'd ever seen them. Noticing the change, Jason couldn't let it go unsaid, "Looks like you have a story to tell too. Wanna drink with me?"

Maybe that was what he needed, she figured. A person whose life was just as screwed up as hers was, "Okay, Morgan. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Deal?" He looked at her strangely for a second, thinking over the offer, before he firmly nodded his head. Surprisingly, she lifted the beer bottle back up and took a quick swig before she spoke, "Cameron and I moved out. Lucky thought I was having an affair with Patrick Drake. He saw us at the hospital together, because we both happen to work there, and he jumped to a very wrong conclusion."

Even half-drunk, Jason still managed to be shocked by the news, "He said you cheated on him? _You_ cheating on him? The same guy that screwed your sister while he was dating you? That guy?"

Hearing the words come from his lips brought everything to a sad reality. The man she loved, the man she trusted, didn't trust her, didn't love her enough to trust her. The same man she'd taken back time and time again was still not the man she'd first fell in love with. The overwhelming feel of running overcome her, "Coleman! Coleman?" It was only a matter of seconds before the slick bartender appeared out back space, "Another round, please."

Coleman only chuckled as he reached underneath the bar, grabbed the closest bottle of tequila, and tossed it over to Jason's awaiting hand.

Jason, in a fast paced move, poured them both a shot each, waited till Elizabeth grabbed her own, and together slugged back the shot. Elizabeth gasped as the cool liquid burnt down the path of her throat. Jason slammed the glass on the table, breathing out hot air, "Sam moved out, too. Alexis convinced her that I'm all wrong for her, that she almost died by a bullet meant for me, almost lost her chance to have children, and that in my life she would always be target." His voice become a whisper, "And to top it off, I couldn't even argue it."

Watching as Jason poured them both another shot, she let her eyes fall over his face, his stubbled chin, his tanned skin, chiseled jaw. Even drunk, the man was perfection. She shook the thought of her head, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks that she wasn't sure was from the tequila or her heart, "Sam does love you."

Jason sighed, sipping the shot slowly before throwing the rest into the back of his throat, "That...doesn't seem to be enough these days." He held the other glass out to her, her fingers briefly skimming his, leaving what felt like a trail of fire, as she removed her shot from his hand, "Now, does it?"

He held her gaze for a whisper too long than he should have, as she bit back the drink, turning her eyes away from his, as the second shot stung less than the first, "I guess not." Her tongue escaped its prison, sweeping over her bottom lip, which Jason gladly followed the path of with his eyes. Her eyes lowered again, heat rising to her cheeks, as she reached for the bottle this time, pouring, and pouring, "Lucky...he's being unreasonable. It's the medication he's taking. Or overtaking in this case. He hasn't gotten over Jesse's death or not being a cop anymore. So, he...I don't know." She rambled on and on, anything to distract her from the fact that Jason's hand continually brushed hers, purposely, intentionally, "Sometimes, I think it'd been better if I just..."

He watched as she took another shot, her eyes falling anywhere but on him, "You moved back in with your grandmother?"

Elizabeth shook her head, her fourth and fifth shot quickly following, "No. Actually, Sonny..." Her eyes lifted again, unable to avoid his gaze for any longer, "Sonny gave me the keys to his old penthouse."

It was then, and only then, did Jason start feeling the effects of all the alcohol he had consumed. He sat up straight, still needing to lean against the back of the booth for his support, his eyes dangerously smiling back over at her, a smirk over his lips, "Across the hall? From _me_?"

She nodded slowly, a tightness suddenly overcoming her chest as he threw back another shot, "I'm, I'm just staying there till I find a place. You know, a temporary fix."

He chuckled lightly, watching as she tried to crawl out of her own skin, his arms now resting atop the table by hers, "Like the tequila?" She smiled gently back at him, her head now dizzy. Gently, Jason cradled the tequila shot in his hand, his eyes never looking up at hers across the booth from him, "I think Sam was my last chance at a family."

GULP.

Trying her best to not let her emotions show, Elizabeth avoided his gaze as well, looking at the table, at her shot glass, across the way towards Coleman, by the pool table, anything, anywhere, except those amazing sad blue eyes of his.

Jason was always honest, but he was never this honest.

Elizabeth guessed that he really _was_ drunk. But he had brought it up and she certainly couldn't ignore it. She paused, gathering her thoughts, keeping her voice steady and calm, "Why do you think that?"

Lifting his eyes briefly, Jason grasped the shot, bringing it to his lips and throwing his head back. He let the thick liquid slide down the back of his throat, burning, sizzling, aching as it made its way down. He slammed the glass against the table before them, tears burning in the back of his eyes.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he reached for the bottle again, pouring himself another drink, "Who else would be willing to take the risks I do?" He ran down the list, his eyes heavy with tire, "Robin, Courtney, Sam. Hell, even you. I lost it all because of..."

His words ceased on his lips when her cool hand moved over his. Instinctively, his eyes lifted and hers were right there to catch his.

Damn.

She still had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Eyes that matched his.

Lowering his eyes, shifting his hand, he leaned further back against his seat, wanting to numb out any and all feelings tonight. Unsure if that could be accomplished with her sitting a few feet away, looking at him, touching him...

A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes trailed his face, "You never lost me, Jason. I'm still here. I'm still your friend." He didn't move, didn't react, and Elizabeth was completely unsure how to read him. And yet, she couldn't stop herself from speaking truths that were better left unsaid and in the past, "And don't sit there and say that I wasn't willing, Jason. Because I was. I sat at home and waited for you night after night. I cleaned you up when you came home bloody and bruised. I didn't ask questions, I didn't get in your business. But I was there...because I wanted to be. And all I asked, all I wanted was for you in return." Aware that she was saying too much, she grabbed Jason's shot from his hand, bringing it to her mouth and quickly gulping the entire thing, shaking from the inside out as the effect immediately wore in.

She licked her lips, tasting the tequila, as her eyes moved back towards his, "I didn't leave because of your lifestyle. I just couldn't take the lies."

Looking back at her, Jason completely understood that his plan to drink the night away, numb out the pain, and forget the past was certainly shot to hell now. He placed the bottle back on the tabletop gently, her words hitting way to close to reality, all too quickly hindering his buzz, "Well, it's a part of the life. A package deal. They'll be things I can never tell, times I won't come home, promises I might even break. That's why alone...alone is better."

Her sad eyes moved back over to his, he had retreated from his bottle, his shot glasses, the tequila, nothing was going to numb out the pain he felt and she realized there wasn't much she could say to help. A sigh escaped her lips, her own curiosity getting to her, ""Is it really worth it?"

He only shrugged his shoulders, "I really don't know anymore, Elizabeth. I really don't."

But this hadn't been what she intended. As soon as Emily called, she rushed right over to Jake's , as fast as her car could take her, determined to save Jason from himself. And yet, here she was, making his pain all about her. Another laugh fell from her lips, slamming another shot quickly back, "We are pitiful, aren't we? Especially me. I came here to get you to stop drinking and I start."

The corner of his lips turned, "You were doing me a favor. It's no fun to drink alone."

Elizabeth nodded, her smile matching his, "So, that's what we're going to do? Sit here, drunk, and spend the rest of our lives wallowing in self-pity over the mess we've made of our lives and the disaster of our significant others or..."

His eyebrow ached, his body suddenly leaning too far over the table, "Or what? Where do you want to go?"

Her eyes latched onto his, searching for something that she realized was always there. Her words came out as a whisper, her eyes despite her best intentions falling to his lips, "Nowhere."

As soon as her single word hit the air, Jason slid out of his side of the booth, slowly coming to an unsteady stand, and gliding one step over to her side of the booth. He reached out, encircling her wrist in his grasp, gently tugging her in his direction. Without a word, she followed his lead, moving out of the booth, coming to her feet. But he gave her no room, forcing her to press against his strong frame, pinned between the outside of the booth and his broad chest. His free fingers diligently made their way over her soft hips, around to the small of her back, holding her firmly against him.

One of her hands still trapped by his grasp, the other behind her, on the table, trying to keep her balance, and then her eyes...the worst mistake she could have made she thought...found his. His pupils large, magnificent blue eyes staring down at her in a way he shouldn't, in a way she shouldn't want, desire pulsating through her in a way it hadn't in a long, long time.

His eyes traced her face, finally landing on her full, slightly open mouth, his breath tickling her face, "How about...we go upstairs?"


End file.
